Puppy found mauled in Greene County recovering; owner sought

CATSKILL, N.Y. -- Information is being sought about an approximately 5-month-old puppy that appeared to have been mauled by another dog and abandoned in a parking lot in Jefferson Heights, Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA president Ron Perez said.

The male pitbull-mix puppy was found on Aug. 24 in a residential parking lot on county Route 23B, Perez said Thursday. He said the puppy was "terribly mauled" and the injuries appeared to have been caused by another dog. The puppy's throat was "torn out," Perez added.

According to a press release from the SPCA, a passerby spotted the puppy lying down motionless in the parking lot. The Catskill dog control officer was called and the puppy was brought to the SPCA, where it was examined, the release said. The release said the puppy was then rushed to Chathams Small Animal Hospital, where he was placed in intensive care for more than a week.

"The puppy was a victim of a heinous dog attack and the owner apparently didn't want to pay for medical care," Perez said in the release.

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Veterinarian Jerry Bilinski, owner of Chathams Small Animal Hospital, said the puppy should make a full recovery, according to the release. The release said the animal hospital would be donating the majority of the recovery and medical expenses for the puppy.

"Today, he's doing fantastic," Perez said of the puppy.

Anyone with information about the puppy is asked to call the SPCA's Animal Cruelty Investigation unit at (518) 828-6044. The release said the puppy's owner would face animal cruelty charges.